Hikvisions in new construction

jas0420

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Hi all, I have some Hik 2CD2342 turrets and am about to build a new home. Had these under the eaves in the soffit at the old home and would like to do the same again. I'm going to be doing my own network wiring and would like to pre-wire for these as much as possible. Wasn't HORRIBLE mounting them last time with some fiberglass rods, but taking advantage of the openness would certainly be easier.

Was hoping to find a purpose made junction box that I could pre-mount, or a j-box to Hik adapter to where I could (easily) mount "something" in the eaves that the soffit could be installed around.

I'm striking out... Found a few round ones with knockouts for conduit that appear to be more for mounting "to" a wall/ceiling rather than "in" it.

Is dangling some cable slack in the rafters above the future cam location and trying to fish it out later my best bet or is there some hardware that I'm managing to overlook?

Thx!
 

PSPCommOp

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Hi all, I have some Hik 2CD2342 turrets and am about to build a new home. Had these under the eaves in the soffit at the old home and would like to do the same again. I'm going to be doing my own network wiring and would like to pre-wire for these as much as possible. Wasn't HORRIBLE mounting them last time with some fiberglass rods, but taking advantage of the openness would certainly be easier.

Was hoping to find a purpose made junction box that I could pre-mount, or a j-box to Hik adapter to where I could (easily) mount "something" in the eaves that the soffit could be installed around.

I'm striking out... Found a few round ones with knockouts for conduit that appear to be more for mounting "to" a wall/ceiling rather than "in" it.

Is dangling some cable slack in the rafters above the future cam location and trying to fish it out later my best bet or is there some hardware that I'm managing to overlook?

Thx!
I've read a lot of people here who have said run one wire, then as you're running it tape a string to that so when it's completely fished, you just need attach the next wire to the bottom of that string, and then repeat with another string and the next wire and so on. Most here recommend a minimum of 4 to each corner of the house but you can always go with more or less or just do four and leave the string on the last one for if you decide to add more down the road.

As long as you aren't terminating one end and providing PoE power with exposed wires on the other end, any good quality cable should be fine resting in the rafters. You can also put a dab of silicone on the open ends if you'd feel more comfortable and just clip it off when you decide to use that cable but I'd recommend fishing them and just leaving them there.


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zero-degrees

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I've done this several times.

Wait till the soffits are installed, but no drywall or insulation are up. You'll want to do this the same time electricians and plumbers are installing there rough in stuff - there is a reason they do it then.

Pull all your cable from the central location out to the soffit locations. If your soffits are wood that self vent you'll already have the grooves cut so this is even easier.
1. once you have the cable pulled to the soffit location spool up 3 feet or so extra for adjustment later.
2. get some standard wire from your local hardware store, electrical tape, small washers, and tiny screws.
3. take a 1' piece of wire, over lap 6 inches of it on the network cable and wrap it in electrical tape.
4. then take the other end of the wire and wrap it around the washer.
5. now, get on a step ladder INSIDE the home and reach up into the soffit and slide the washer and wire OUT though the slotted vent.
6. go outside and run the tiny screw through the washer into the soffit next to the vent.
7. your done for now
8. when your soffits are painted the washer and screw disappear to everyone other than you.
9. you don't have boxes or holes cut
10. you can pull more than what you need without worry
11. if you don't get to installing right away, no biggie
12. once your ready to install, jump back up on the ladder, unscrew the washer and pull the cable though that wood slot vent. You can break off a small end of the slot vents to open up a hole to push your connects back though
13. done.

I've done this several times with success and I find it the only way to go. Some people put boxes in. This causes more work for the guys installing the soffit and some cameras don't cover the box fully. I've also seen electricians drill a 1/4 hole just big enough to fit the cable though then tie it in a knot. I hate this because you then have to drill a 1/2 hole for your connects and pull the cable back up and into that hole taking extra time. I've seen people mount external boxes, I find these pointless and bulky/obvious unless you need the drop the camera a little lower to eliminate IR reflection off the front soffit the gutter is mounted to.

Regardless, good luck, and don't over think it. Also pull more cable then you'll ever expect to need to more locations then you want. You may want to add cameras later or you may want to add IR blasters for additional IR and those extra cables will come in handy.
 
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DWW0311

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I mounted a secondary PoE switch in the attic - that allowed me to just run all of the Cat6 up there to one point, and from there just drop a single fiber run down to the basement where the rest of my infrastructure lives.
 

zero-degrees

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I mounted a secondary PoE switch in the attic - that allowed me to just run all of the Cat6 up there to one point, and from there just drop a single fiber run down to the basement where the rest of my infrastructure lives.
This isn't great advice for everyone. POE switches in attics are a bad idea depending on your location/climate.

Most switch hardware has a max operating temp of around 105F - 125F, hell storage temps of this hardware is normally rated at 150/160F max.

90F outside temps can put an attic in the 150's. So if you are south of Canada I really wouldn't recommend this as "safe" practice.
 

DWW0311

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This isn't great advice for everyone. POE switches in attics are a bad idea depending on your location/climate.

Most switch hardware has a max operating temp of around 105F - 125F, hell storage temps of this hardware is normally rated at 150/160F max.

90F outside temps can put an attic in the 150's. So if you are south of Canada I really wouldn't recommend this as "safe" practice.
Understood, and agreed. Hence we installed two of these:

Master Flow 1600 CFM Power Roof Mount Vent in Shingle Match Weatherwood-PR3XDSMWW - The Home Depot
 

zero-degrees

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Understood, and agreed. Hence we installed two of these:
Side note, I'm mixed on these personally and don't know enough to speak professionally about them. But I've heard these actually cost more to operate in the end. Because no home is 100% sealed and air takes the path of least resistants thus these actually pull cooled air from your living space into the attic as well while running. While the majority of air is pulled from the soffits up into the attic and out of the attic you at the same time pull air from the finished home, thus causing your AC to run slightly more.

Again, I'm not a builder or HVAC professional, but I know these have mixed reviews on the end result they achieve.
 

jas0420

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I've done this several times.

Wait till the soffits are installed, but no drywall or insulation are up. You'll want to do this the same time electricians and plumbers are installing there rough in stuff - there is a reason they do it then.

Pull all your cable from the central location out to the soffit locations. If your soffits are wood that self vent you'll already have the grooves cut so this is even easier.
1. once you have the cable pulled to the soffit location spool up 3 feet or so extra for adjustment later.
2. get some standard wire from your local hardware store, electrical tape, small washers, and tiny screws.
3. take a 1' piece of wire, over lap 6 inches of it on the network cable and wrap it in electrical tape.
4. then take the other end of the wire and wrap it around the washer.
5. now, get on a step ladder INSIDE the home and reach up into the soffit and slide the washer and wire OUT though the slotted vent.
6. go outside and run the tiny screw through the washer into the soffit next to the vent.
7. your done for now
8. when your soffits are painted the washer and screw disappear to everyone other than you.
9. you don't have boxes or holes cut
10. you can pull more than what you need without worry
11. if you don't get to installing right away, no biggie
12. once your ready to install, jump back up on the ladder, unscrew the washer and pull the cable though that wood slot vent. You can break off a small end of the slot vents to open up a hole to push your connects back though
13. done.

I've done this several times with success and I find it the only way to go. Some people put boxes in. This causes more work for the guys installing the soffit and some cameras don't cover the box fully. I've also seen electricians drill a 1/4 hole just big enough to fit the cable though then tie it in a knot. I hate this because you then have to drill a 1/2 hole for your connects and pull the cable back up and into that hole taking extra time. I've seen people mount external boxes, I find these pointless and bulky/obvious unless you need the drop the camera a little lower to eliminate IR reflection off the front soffit the gutter is mounted to.

Regardless, good luck, and don't over think it. Also pull more cable then you'll ever expect to need to more locations then you want. You may want to add cameras later or you may want to add IR blasters for additional IR and those extra cables will come in handy.
Interesting tips, thank you! They tend to use solid sheets of soffit around here, but I think I could adapt your ethernet to electrical wire idea... maybe just drill a small 3/16" hole, poke a 1/4" or so of the electrical wire out, bend it at 90 degrees flush against the soffit, and when needed, repurpose that small hole as one of the mounting holes for the camera body but still be able to easily fish the cable over to the larger "cable hole" that will wind up right beside it...

I like it! Thank you!
 

DWW0311

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Side note, I'm mixed on these personally and don't know enough to speak professionally about them. But I've heard these actually cost more to operate in the end. Because no home is 100% sealed and air takes the path of least resistants thus these actually pull cooled air from your living space into the attic as well while running. While the majority of air is pulled from the soffits up into the attic and out of the attic you at the same time pull air from the finished home, thus causing your AC to run slightly more.

Again, I'm not a builder or HVAC professional, but I know these have mixed reviews on the end result they achieve.
Valid point. When we gutted the upper floor (long story - short version: supply wiring that dated from 1949 without a ground anywhere in the house), part of the rebuild was sealing the wall to ceiling seams (the original plaster ceilings were left in place) with silicone before the crown moldings went in. It's not perfect, but it does a pretty decent job. We have a hip roof, so all of the ventilation has to come from underneath via the soffit. When they replaced the siding, they took one look at those fans and installed double venting (the entire surface of the soffit is ventilated in and of itself, and they installed additional vent grilles as well to increase the flow).

We're somewhat lucky in that we live in MD right on the Chesapeake & are surrounded by old growth oaks. We get the breezes off of the bay and the trees keep it cooler as well. I staged the fans such that the first one kicks in at 90 / second one kicks in at 100. They don't run that often / for both of them to be running is a rarity. I think it boils down to "I have a history of overdoing things" :)

Internal temp on the switch on a sunny day usually stays around 38C.
 
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